Is “Son of the Mask,” ‘smokin’ like the original? No, but “The Mask” wasn’t all that great to begin with. The Jim Carrey vehicle was just that, a film for Carrey’s crazy antics. It worked in places, but overall the film was a dud. All of the critics out there bemoaning how much worse this film is compared to its predecessor should relax. “Son of the Mask” isn’t a great film but it’s not the worst movie in the world either.
The story begins with a dog finding the mask in a river. He brings it home to his owner, an aspiring animator named Tim, who is trying to work his way up in the field while his wife is hoping to start a family. Tim puts on the mask in desperation, goes all “Mask-y,” returns home to his loving wife and nine months later she gives birth to a baby that has inherited the mask’s powers. Add to the mix, a dog jealous of the attention that comes with a new baby and Loki, the Norse god searching for his mask, and you get a genial mix of cartoon-like comedy.
The performances range from Alan Cumming’s fairly decent portrayal of Loki and Jamie Kennedy’s mediocre performance as Tim to Bob Hoskin’s absolutely dreadful Odin. If you ever wondered what happened to the guy from “Roger Rabbit,” this is it. The baby is cute and the CGI stuff they do with the baby bounces between humorous and impressive to stupid and creepy-looking. The same goes for the dog and when Loki masks out and looks like a brunette Brigitte Nielsen transforming into the hulk.
“Son of the Mask” works best when it honors the cartoon classics. Scenes between the dog and the baby are like Tom and Jerry or Roadrunner cartoons and the tribute to the Michigan J. Frog short is very funny. There are some painfully bad scenes though, such as the scene at the office Halloween party and a way too long song and dance sequence. It isn’t the best movie out there, but if you like moderately funny films that the whole family will find at least something they enjoy, this will do.
